How much $$$ for a house/dog sitter?

[taymacsmom]

We will be gone for 7 days and are leaving our two dogs and house in the (I hope) capable hands of my niece for the first time this August. She is a 19 year old college student who is working part time for the summer. My question is how much should I pay her for the whole week. We have never had a "sitter" and have always kenneled our dogs to the tune of $45.00 a night. Having her stay here at our house, is an opportunity to save some $$. I don't want to underpay but I, also, don't want to overpay. The dogs are older and "low maintenance". We have a fenced in yard to she doesn't even have to walk them. Thanks for any input you can give me!

 

[aestapa]

We pay a college student $25 / night. She stays at our house, so its almost like a vacation from mom & dad for her! We have 2 dogs and 1 fish (who apparently doesn't like to eat). With 2 large dogs, this is a huge savings over boarding them. In this situation, its as much a getaway for her as it is a savings for us, so she is thrilled with the pay.

 

[stace1214]

I haven't done any housesitting in the past few years but did regularly house-sit several years ago. I was paid $200 for the week.

 

[MrsNick]

In our area a pet sitter costs $40 - 50 per night.

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

I'd say $150-$250 for the week, plus having the fridge stocked for her with things she likes.

In this case, she's not just taking care of the dogs but of the house, too. Plants? Mail? How long are you expecting her to actually be there with the dogs each day (by this, is she going to go to work and have plans with her friends?) She'll have to clean up while she's there. It is also peace of mind having someone being "seen" in your house as this economy is seeing increased burglaries.

I know you say you don't want to over or under pay, just remember that she is family and we family members remember who helped us out when we were poor college students!

 

[RainbowWit]

We have 3 dogs. Two large breeds and a small. 2 cats, and fish. We also have a pool that needs upkept for the 9 days we will be at the world. We are giving about $30 dollars a day. $300 They are a single couple who have done our house/pet sitting before.

 

[swanwed6206]

Hi! We have 3 little guys and we pay $300 for a college student/family friend. Or trips are usually around 10 days but we would probably pay the same if it was 8 or 12. He stays at the house and does the basic stuff like taking the mail in and spa maintenance. HTH!

 

[veraletta]

I want a job house sitting your dogs wow, our vet only charges $15 a night to board.
Which I never have to do as, my one of my children alway offer and will come stay at my house for free, they love the ideal of not having to share computer or TV's, plus all the free food they can eat.
I would think $150 for one week would be more than enough.

 

[swanwed6206]

I want a job house sitting your dogs wow, our vet only charges $15 a night to board.
Which I never have to do as, my one of my children alway offer and will come stay at my house for free, they love the ideal of not having to share computer or TV's, plus all the free food they can eat.
I would think $150 for one week would be more than enough.

$15 per night X 3 pups would be $45/night... over ten days- we would be paying more, plus the boys would be in a crate for 23 hours a day....

 

[Syrreal]

We gve one of our neighbor kids (he's mid teens) $10-$15 (base is $10 but i always give him more than that) a day to feed our cats, let the dog out, and make sure the house is ok. He doesn't sleep over, though.

 

[mommy*RN]

A good friend of mine actually owns her own pet sitting service. She charges us $30/night for our dogs, but I think her rate for non-friends is around $35-$40/night (for 2 dogs). I love having her stay here because it's like getting a free housesitter. I don't have to worry about our house being broken into or buring down. It's a win-win situation for all of us!